Opinion & Commentary

Jose D. Duran I promise this is the final Wynwood mural in the series I’ve been doing lately. Who could blame me though? The entire area surrounding NW 2nd Avenue and NW 23 Street is covered in murals. This is one I actually saw getting painted a few months ago…

We hear at the New Times camp are die fans of all things old school. So as I came across this stellar footage of Teddy P doing his thing (while still walking I might add) from 1979, it seemed appropriate to share it with the blogosphere. He’s undeniably looking good…

While we’re on the subject of old dance jams, here’s another classic: “Security” by the Beat Club, which dropped around ’87 or ’88. This classic record had both that tinkle-tinkle that linked it both to freestyle and electro in these parts and the emerging early rave sound in England –…

Miami-Dade’s top public corruption prosecutor doesn’t have to worry about the Florida Bar coming after him anymore. Bar counsel Arne Vanstrum has dismissed a complaint against Joseph Centorino, the assistant state attorney who heads the public corruption unit, alleging he acted unethically by not prosecuting high-ranking officials in the Miami-Dade…

You can always count on Miami Today Publisher Michael Lewis to do what the Miami Herald editorial board won’t do. This week, Lewis takes Miami-Dade County Schools Superintendent Rudolph “Rudy” Crew and School Board Chairman Agustin Barrera to the wood shed and whups them real good. Here’s an excerpt: For…

Today, for the 54th time since July 2007, Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Rudolph “Rudy” Crew did not show up for work. This time, he took a vacation day. Meanwhile, the school district continues to fall apart. — Francisco Alvarado…

A near-police state has sadly taken hold at many venues. It’s normal to get frisked and surrender prohibited items such as drinks from other bars or flash cameras. Since I’ve given up my younger and broker ways of sneaking in vodka masquerading as bottled water, I’m all right with that…

Same Old School I went to Allapattah Middle School (“The F-School Bomb,” by Francisco Alvarado, May 1) from 1983 to 1984. During that time, one of the math teachers provided the answers to a standardized test. I was dumbfounded. This corruption of 12- and 13-year-old children was obviously endemic in…

The South Florida Business Journal recently published a story detailing a slimy deal between media executive and former Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Jose Cancela and the Jackson Memorial Foundation, the fund raising arm for the Public Health Trust, which runs Jackson Memorial Hospital. According to reporters Brian Bandell and Oscar Musibay,…

Jose D. Duran Last week, when I stumbled upon all the quirky art on the utility poles, I also came across a mural done by artist Mariano Molina back in November. Actually, I was told that right before Art Basel comes into town, artists go around the area asking tenants…

Several high-level, well-paid Miami-Dade County executives are investing in a little job security. At least 24 department directors, assistant county managers, and executive assistants contributed money to Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez’s re-election campaign. Even the folks who handle the mayor’s image and field calls from the press gave cash to…

Lately Florida marijuana growers are providing drug agents with a lot of job security. Yesterday, the Drug Enforcement Agency led raids on 150 indoor pot grow houses across the state, with one-third shut down in the 305. Television news stations WPLG and WFOR reported that law enforcers arrested 135 people…

Plastic: Far from Fantastic Thanks for your reality check, Tamara Lush, in your April 24 Riptide article (“Mama’s Got a Brand New Bum”). I’m from Salt Lake, and our lovely town was just voted the vainest city in America. And, yes, that is just plain embarrassing. I am a regular…

Jose D. Duran Graffiti on the ultility pole at the corner of NW 23rd Street and NW 2nd Avenue. Just east of Edgewater – that’s the real name of the newly christened “Midtown” area – and Downtown Miami lies the creative ghetto better known as Wynwood. Between wholesale clothing operations…

Since it’s Throwback Tuesdays, I’m in the mood to take it wayyyy back to the Bridge Wars of the mid ’80s in the dawn of hip-hop’s golden years. This originally was a battle of the boroughs. Queens rappers MC Shan and Marley Marl came out with a track called “The…

Here’s an oldie but goody from Detroit R&B crooner Dwele. He’s been featured recently on Kanye’s “Flashing Lights” and Common’s “The People” singing hooks–which makes you think that Chicago MC’s have a soft spot for him. A lot of the love he gets from the hip-hop community has more to…

Grabbing Eyeballs Is a Two-Way Street I, like most readers, was morally outraged by last week’s cover illustration (“Lambs to Slaughter,” April 17). Though it’s easy to call for the heads of everyone from the artist to the editor, I doubt that many of us even considered looking within, at…

Last Saturday night at Sweat Records in Little Haiti marked a couple of milestones. First, and most important, it was the store’s third birthday — a giant feat for a business that’s survived two relocations and even more hurricanes. And it was the local celebration of the first International Record…